Mercedes Thompson: The beginning
by AlphaOmega2013
Summary: A story showing excerpts from Mercedes childhood each chapter. Beginning with her mother leaving her with Bran to her making the decision to leave the Montana pack for good.
1. Chapter 1

The 7 month old girl struggled furiously in her mothers arms as she attempted to wrap her in a blanket. It had become a nightly ritual for Margi, the girls mother, a battle of wills to keep the young girl warm. While the baby girl fought like the devil to be kept unrestricted, if Margi left the blankets loose the girl would move around so much in her sleep she would somehow struggle out of her blankets and wake up crying and cold. So Margi battled on with the girl. Who'd have thought that the young girl would have adopted her mothers feisty nature? You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at her that the baby was Margi's legitimate child. The baby girl was as dark as Margi was fair. Her caramel skin, thick dark tuft of hair and deep brown eyes spoke everything of her father and nothing of her mother._ If only she had of adopted his charming and easy-going nature! _Margi often grumbled to herself, particularly during this night-time battle. But she loved her sweet baby girl, and her looks as dissimilar to her own were a living memorial to her father, whom Margi loved dearly.

Margi was now 19 but was only 18 when she had given birth to the girl. It was young, very young she knew. But she had run off to join a travelling rodeo show and fell in love with a handsome and exotic Native-American. It wasn't the kind of fling that girls her age had- it was the real thing. Mostly Margi remembered hot days, the kind where the air went all wavy because of the heat and the crowds were mostly still except for the constant waving movement of people batting flies away from their faces. And she remembered the smell of saddle-polish, the dust that flicked the air and the way _he _pulled his coyboy hat low over his eyes and smiled at her. And it wasn't an I-think-you're-kind-of-interesting smile. It was as though they had found in each other something... special. There was something unique about this man, a kind of _power _subdued underneath a layer and another layer and another and wrapped up in a package that was carefree and wild. And Margi couldn't wait to discover everything about him. He found her interesting to- he was constantly amazed by the way she carried herself. In awe of how she was so kind and strong at the same time. They were two care-free spirits, they fed off each other and nurtured each other. Margi remembered heat, laughter and love. All of her memories of this time shone bright in her mind, everything bathed in yellow sunshine. But two people such as themselves are rarely meant to shine together forever. And as it were, before Margi was able to tell the Indian man she had so dearly loved that she was pregnant, he had died in a car crash. Such a mediocre way to end for such an enigmatic man, Margi thought sometimes. Before each show when her rodeo man would go out to a particularly dangerous beast he would tilt his cowboy hat up, look her right in the eye and give a kind of half-smile and say _"I'll be back for that kiss" _in a teasing voice and turn away from her. When he returned he would kiss her before saying anything. Sometime he would take of his hat and fix it on her head which made her glow.

But life was tough- Margi knew this, and was tough herself. She would not let this loss break her, and she would go on to love more strongly, as she knew her rodeo man would have wanted. And so she poured all her love into her daughter, who was a handful, but who was a testimony of the love she once shared with a man who she would sadly never even begin to get to know as well as she once hoped. Her baby girl finally gave in to her mothers blankets wrapped around her and gave her a cheeky, if tired, smile. Margi couldn't help but laugh, "one day, girl, you will keep a man's hands very full!" but she leaned in close as she gave her child a kiss on the cheek and said, "but that man will be very lucky indeed". Margi half-closed the door and went into her own room to bed.

Hours later Margi woke to a strange sound- a crying sound... no... a whimpering? Margi rolled sideways out of bed flicking on her bedside lamp which to her tired eyes illuminated the room, hallway and nursery room beyond. She sleepily made her way towards the baby's room as the sound got louder and louder. Margi made her way across the room and peered into the cot, and what she saw woke her up completely. She gave a quiet shriek and reached into the crib to search for her daughter. But all she found curled in the blankets and making trapped little noises was a tiny pup. A pup which ceased whining when Margi picked her up and cradled her in her arms. A pup with remarkably similar eyes... to her daughter.

* * *

Bran surveyed the ten month old girl playing in his lounge with a careful intensity. A very young, scared girl sat at his table sobbing. As distraught as she was she was still quite beautiful, despite her normally cheerful features being twisted in anguish. She had been out of options, Bran had known. She had already told him her story from the time she had met a mysterious Indian rodeo man up until she had found a coyote pup in her daughters crib instead of a baby. Bran was quite interested in how a human knew about him and his wolf pack, to which she tearfully explained that her uncle had friends in the werewolf community and had informed his family about it even though he was forbidden to do so and then swore his family to secrecy. His family had agreed to his request, largely not believing him. Margi had not really thought about it again until recently, when seeing her daughter shift into a coyote pup all of a sudden made werewolves seem all the more realistic. She had contacted her uncle who had contacted his friend who had gotten a hold of Bran. Now all that was left was his decision.

"Margi, it's all right" he said forcefully, because it was important that she believe him.

"In my opinion- and I honestly don't know how different walkers are to werewolves- she cannot stay within the strictly human society. It would not be safe for herself or others. There is little I know about the native preternatural species of this country- I was preoccupied with other things at the time her kind were populating this area". At this news Margi gave a subdued sob but waited for Bran to continue speaking.

"She is a predator Margi. To what extent, I do not know. But the supernatural community will not risk having a preternatural creature risking exposure in the public. For her safety and your own, you will leave her with me". It was not a request, Bran knew, but he could not afford to be flippant with this- he knew of other preternatural creatures who were even more abrasive when dealing with the risk of exposure than even the wolves. Without guidance and protection this young girl would likely end up dead. The protective Alpha instinct in Bran could not allow that to happen. He would not give this young mother any misgivings about it. After a lengthy discussion in which Bran assured Margi she could visit her daughter she eventually agreed that this would be the best thing for her.

Margi stood up to leave, firstly picking up her daughter and giving her a long hug and a sad kiss farewell. The baby squirmed against her mothers hug. Her baby daughter was quite preoccupied with trying to pull away the iron gate which shielded the fireplace (which was not lit)- after being told repeatedly not to- before her mother had interrupted her with this over-long hug. Margi put the girl back down, and she immediately began crawling again towards the iron gate eagerly. And then Margi turned, eyes blazing towards Bran.

"You will do everything you can to protect her" she commanded, in a voice so powerful, as mothers often are, that even Bran felt the wave of dominance wash over him from the 5ft 0" blonde 19 year old entirely human girl- if only for a millisecond.

"I promise, I will do everything within my power to love and keep your child from harm" Bran swore solemnly, giving a low bow which should have looked sarcastic or cheesy but somehow fit in perfectly and emphasised Bran's seriousness to his vow.

"Good" nodded Margi shortly, "now keep Mercedes out of the fireplace" and she turned and walked resolutely out of the door, determined not to look back lest she cry again.

Bran turned to see the girl climbing determinately into the ashy soot covered floor of the fireplace after apparently achieving her aim or pulling the iron gate to one side and he moved with inhumane speed to scoop her up in his arms. The girl giggled at Bran's speed- indeed it must have seemed a fast ride for her, a game. Despite his speed he still had been too late to prevent the little girl from crawling into the dirty unlit fireplace. She looked up at him, laughing and covered in ash and soot from her adventure.

"And how am I supposed to keep you out of the fire?" Bran asked Mercedes Athena Thompson resolutely- she pulled at his ears in response.


	2. Chapter 2

Mercedes sat in the middle of Bran's kitchen floor staring grumpily at the ash-brown haired man speaking in hushed tones to Bran.

"Sammie, Sammie!" she wailed, continuing until Samuel finally turned and walked towards her, crouching and giving her a lopsided smile. "Hey there cheeky girl, I'm surprised you've even learnt my name, I've only been here a few days and I'll be off soon again" and he ruffled her hair affectionately. At 12 months of age Mercy's ability to memorise names and vocabulary was quite astounding. More astounding was the fact that Mercy had never actually met Samuel in his human form before. "I wonder how she knew it was me?" Samuel said, speaking to his father. "Scent" said Bran smiling, "the girl has a better nose than me, I tell you. She can find chocolate chip cookies anywhere within a ten mile radius" and he laughed affectionately.

"Woof woof!" The girl interrupted, pulling at Samuels collar in an attempt to pull herself up and try to climb on his back as she had seen the other children of Aspen Creek do yesterday when he was in his wolf form. Her earnest face was so endearing that Samuel did not want to disappoint her but he had other more serious matters to attend to. "Maybe some other time" he said to Mercy and distracted her with some pans out of Bran's pantry, which she banged together enthusiastically instead.

"Perhaps that wasn't a great idea..." Samuel reflected at the clanging sounds of pans being banged together by the clearly over-enthusiastic Mercy. "I don't suspect anything else would have distracted her Samuel, she's quite stubborn" Bran said unhelpfully.

"Da, I have not seen you this entranced since..." Samuel paused, he knew that Blue Jay Woman was a sensitive topic for Bran. Bran had barely managed to hold himself together after she had died- and only had been able to due to the birth of his son Charles that accompanied Blue Jay Woman's death. "I know" Bran interrupted heavily, saving Samuel from having to finish his sentence.

"You know she cannot stay here" Samuel added, "It's not safe". And they both knew he was talking about Leah, Brans mate. Before Mercy had interrupted them Samuel had been telling his Da about the dissent that was amassing in the Montana Pack due to the coyote pup being raised by the Marrok. Werewolves that were a part of the Montana pack were mostly there because they were old, too old to maintain their control very well. And old wolves were not very liberal. Anything unusual usually brought about change- and most of them had been through enough change in their lifetimes to wish to avoid any more. So Mercy would have to live outside of the pack- they would not tolerate her becoming a part of the pack if that was even possible. And Mercy had so clearly enthralled Bran that if she stayed living with him his wolf would insist on her becoming a part of the pack so he could claim her as his to protect. And that would be a danger to the public, his pack and Mercy herself. The wolves would be infuriated, most would be unable to control themselves and bloodshed would ensue- hopefully it would be contained to only the wolf pack, but Bran had the human family members plus the general public which sometimes passed through Aspen to consider as well. And eventually, Leah would kill Mercy. And the pack would see only Leah's proclamation that she was acting to protect the pack- and she would gain respect from the wolves, and respect meant power. Power was a dangerous thing. Few of them would see that Leah was acting out of selfishness. She despised anyone whom Bran showed affection, because he so clearly lacked any for her. He could not risk Mercy, who was human-weak and unable to protect herself. Bran knew that Leah would have killed Samuel and Charles a long time ago had they not been able to protect themselves. But Mercedes would be another matter. When she fell, she bruised and didn't heal. She was fast, but not strong.

So Bran would send her away, and hide the fact that he cared for her any more than someone cares for a stray pet a child brings home and begs to keep instead of sending her out to her doom. In doing so Bran could ensure that she was still protected but his wolf would not insist on having her as a pack member. If Bran's wolf were to grow to love Mercy as a daughter, her being so weak and unable to protect herself, well it was unsafe for everyone. The rest of the pack will eventually accept her- perhaps even grow fond of her in a funny way. She could run alongside the pack, but never within it. Bran relayed his plan to Samuel who agreed, "But who will agree to take a coyote pup in? Especially one who has the rest of the pack so divided" he asked his father. "Bryan will take her" Bran said, he and Evelyn are more than willing to take her- she has charmed them quite thoroughly.

Samuel thought about it- Bryan and Evelyn were good candidates. Bryan was a werewolf and well liked in the pack- not too high up but by no means at the bottom either. Evelyn was his wife, a human. She would be able to provide Mercy with the more normal experiences and she too was well liked and accepted. She could also teach Mercy that one could live happily as an outsider to the pack- even though Evelyn was Bryan's mate she was still technically not a part of the pack as she was wholly human. Samuel nodded, "they are good choices", he agreed. "When are you taking her over?" he asked Bran.

"Shortly" Bran said absently and looked again at little Mercy who had only been with him for a few months but had won his heart. He knew she would be a terror to raise- but somehow felt saddened that he would not be the one to do so. Samuel placed a reassuring hand on his fathers shoulder and squeezed, "she's tough Da, I dare say she'll find her own path in life" and Samuel picked Mercy up, "I'll take her over now. You should be here when Leah gets home" and Samuel walked out the front with Mercy in his arms while Bran resolutely accepted that life was not always kind or easy- it simply was.

* * *

_Author's note:_

I know this chapter was kind of short and boring, but I thought it was an essential part of her story to explain why Bran gave her up and how he really cares for her (as evidenced by the novels in later years). I also thought it was interesting to see Samuel at this point, considering their future love interest. The next chapter will explore Mercy's relationship with her foster parents Evelyn & Bryan. Mercy at a young age learning about the wolf pack, and her figuring out how to manipulate it. After that chapter concerning Mercy's youth the next chapter will be about her teenage years, prominently about her foster parents death and subsequent re-acquaintance with Bran and particularly Samuel.


	3. Chapter 3

Bryan's shoulders were tense as he faced down 11 year old Mercy in the snow-covered park. "Park" was an exaggeration, it had two desolate swings and some monkey bars, but most of the kids just played in the snow here instead.

"You can't run off like that Mercy!" he growled, his anguish at not being able to find her giving way to anger as he shouted at the girl.

"Marcus said I couldn't beat him in a race because I'm a girl! Bryan, he said that, I told him I could do it, he made me!" Mercy shouted indignantly, she was loudly intent on making her foster father understand what Marcus had done.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT MARCUS SAID!" Bryan yelled, losing his last shred of patience with the girl, he knelt down to her level and grasped her shoulders "do you know what could have happened to you? You could have been kidnapped, or killed. I had no idea where you were" he said hotly at the girl. His wolf was deeply unsettled that he had turned his back to Mercy for one second and lost her. She was quick, that girl. When Bryan asked the little boy standing by the swings who had been playing with her where Mercy was he pointed resolutely into the thicket of trees that led to a small wilderness, "but she cheated though, I wasn't ready and then she was gone" the little boy said unhappily. Bryan found Mercy 30 seconds later, but it was still unsettling for a wolf to lose his young, even momentarily.

While most girls her age would have cried if an adult had shouted at them, Mercy just pulled away and crossed her arms. "he shouldn't have said that though. I beat him. I didn't go far." Her bright pink parka jacket offset her dark skin and hair. Her deep brown eyes were flashing still triumphantly at beating Marcus evidently.

Bryan heard Evelyn approaching and soon felt her hand press against his back gently, "Bryan, let me speak to her, please" Evelyn said quietly. It was a request, Bryan knew, not an order and he stood and shrugged. His mate knew how upset he was even without werewolf senses. Who knew a young girl could cause his wolf to rage with fury and anguish? He looked at his wife, whose brown curls framed her gentle face and soft eyes. He closed his eyes and rested his chin against her forehead for a second and then stalked away to cool down while Evelyn spoke to Mercy.

"Mercy, come sit with me please" Evelyn said gently, pulling her hand towards a snow covered seat in the park. They sat down and Evelyn turned to face Mercy.

"You know you can't run off like that Mercy. Bryan and I can't protect you if we don't know where you are" she said.

"But I was just over there past the trees" Mercy said pointing. "Nothing could have hurt me"

Evelyn said nothing to this. While the majority of the pack were now quite fond of Mercy, it was still best to keep a wary eye on her. It was not in a wolf's nature to let a stray coyote live in their territory.

"Mercy, you know Bryan is a werewolf. What does that mean for you?" Evelyn said.

"It means he has to take care of me. All the time. He never lets me do anything ever." she said, kicking the snow with her pink shoe. "And he gets really angry" she added.

Evelyn laughed softly. "Yes, it is sometimes annoying having werewolves that care about you watching everything you do, isn't it?"

Mercy looked at her foster mother. She was only young, but it was the first time she realized that Bryan's protective instincts effected not only her but Evelyn too. She didn't really understand the 'mate bond' the wolves sometimes spoke about. She didn't see it as any different to normal girlfriends and boyfriends. But she now begun to think about the little things Bryan would do, like walk with her places or keep a hand on her shoulder when she met new people. Or how Evelyn would know that Bryan was in a bad mood before he got home, and adjust her mood accordingly. Little things. Controlling things. She let Bryan control her.

Evelyn seemed to know what Mercy was thinking. "You know, knowing these little things about werewolves makes it easy for us to change things to suit us" she said, looking away from Mercy again.

"Like what?" Mercy said, suddenly interested.

Evelyn laughed again. "You are too young to be learning of such things Mercy. You need to start looking at how werewolves behave around each other, and how they expect us to behave towards them. This will help keep you safe. And maybe you can learn some tricks to annoy them too" Evelyn said, smiling at Mercy. "Now I bet if you walk over to Bryan with your eyes down and tell him you're really sorry and you should have asked his permission first that he wont be angry any more" she added, "and he'll know if you're lying. So remember; you ARE really sorry: because you got in trouble. And you SHOULD have asked his permission: because it was the safer thing to do"

Mercy stood and walked slowly over to Bryan with her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry. I should have asked to go running with Marcus." Mercy said softly to Bryan. Bryan could smell the half-lies that Mercy had told him, but children rarely mean it fully when they apologise: so he let it go. He pulled Mercy into a hug, saying gruffly into her ear "I was worried about you. Don't leave me like that ever again."

Mercy often reflected on this time as an influential point in her life. That is because it was the point in which her foster mother (inadvertently) pointed out one of the major weaknesses werewolves had that Mercy could exploit. While the wolves were bound by rigid rules of honour and pack hierarchy, she herself as a coyote and Evelyn as a human could manipulate these rules to their whim, choosing to follow or disobey them depending on which would be most beneficial to them. While Mercy did not wholly comprehend this at the time, from this point on she meticulously played close attention to the body language and rules of the wolf game to best use them to her advantage. And Mercy could begin to practice lying with the truth- an art form among the wolves.

* * *

_Authors note:_

Next chapter will further explore Mercy learning to manipulate the pack to her advantage. This will also involve the infamous 'peanut butter' incidence with Bran in more detail.


End file.
